"Two Ronnies"" - both the visual of Corbett sitting in the chair and his mention of ""Fork Handles"" (or Four Candles). Finally, at the end of the scene, Sarah Jane utters Ronnie Barker's catchphrase ""...and it's goodnight from him"". The scene also makes two references to Red Nose Day. The gifts bestowed on Sarah and her friends are Comic Relief deely boppers, and the final shot of the scene is K-9 sporting a Red Nose. From Raxacoricofallapatorius with Love ""From Raxacoricofallapatorius with Love"" is a special one-off episode from ""Doctor Who"" spin-off ""The Sarah Jane Adventures"". It was the first"
"Frank Muir Frank Herbert Muir (5 February 1920 – 2 January 1998) was an English comedy writer, radio and television personality, and raconteur. His writing and performing partnership with Denis Norden endured for most of their careers. Together they wrote BBC Radio's ""Take It From Here"" for over 10 years, and then appeared on BBC radio quizzes ""My Word!"" and ""My Music"" for another 35. Muir became Assistant Head of Light Entertainment at the BBC in the 1960s, and was then London Weekend Television's founding Head of Entertainment. His many writing credits include editorship of ""The Oxford Book of Humorous"
"also proposed creating a new cultural network, to be named the ""Minerva"" programme, after the Roman goddess of wisdom, but this idea was turned down and was not realised until the creation of 'The Third Programme' at the end of the Second World War. His mild but incisive manner, his humour and his attractive voice earned him the title of the 'BBC's charmer' and he became well-known all over the world for his regular New Year’s Eve broadcast, 'The Grand Good-night'. He was already dying of diabetes when he broadcast his last Grand Good-night on December 31, 1932, from his"
"excerpts from Kenneth Williams' diary. David Benson David Benson (born David Hodgson on 11 January 1962) is an English character actor, writer and comedian, most famous for his one-man show titled ""Think No Evil of Us: My Life with Kenneth Williams"" about the life and career of the late actor, for which he won the ""Scotsman's"" Fringe First award in 1996, and for his television role as Noël Coward in the BBC comedy series ""Goodnight Sweetheart"". His theatrical repertoire includes a wide range of Coward's best known songs, performed in-character as Coward. When not touring in the theatre he can"
"linguistic allusion. Though a classical education was needed fully to appreciate his act, it was widely popular: in 1930 he appeared in the Royal Variety Performance, and the following year made his radio début"". He became one of the most popular radio entertainers in Britain, with his famous opening lines: ""Good evening England. This is Gillie Potter speaking to you in English"". Potter's humour had echoes of ""Punch"" and 'Beachcomber' and various times included the adventures of ""my brother who was educated at Borstal"", burlesques of ""society snippets"", and parodies of ""Who's Who"" entries. His most famous act were his"
"Benny Hill Alfred Hawthorne ""Benny"" Hill (21 January 1924 – 20 April 1992) was an English comedian and actor, best remembered for his television programme ""The Benny Hill Show"", an amalgam of slapstick, burlesque, and ""double entendre"" in a format that included live comedy and filmed segments, with him at the focus of almost every segment. Hill was a prominent figure in British culture for nearly four decades. His show proved to be one of the great success stories of television comedy and was among the most-watched programmes in the UK; the audience peaked at more than 21 million in"
"poll of over 100 comedians, Partridge was voted best TV comedy character and Coogan best male comedy actor, and a scene from ""I'm Alan Partridge"" in which Partridge goes to the home of an obsessive fan was voted best comedy scene. The ""Telegraph"" credited Partridge with influencing cringe comedies such as ""The Inbetweeners"", ""Nighty Night"" and ""Peep Show."" According to Den of Geek"","" he has so influenced British culture that ""Partridgisms"" have become everyday vernacular""."" ""Monkey Tennis"", one of Partridge's desperate television proposals, has become shorthand for absurd television concepts. Another, ""Youth Hostelling with Chris Eubank"", was used by the"
"Al Murray Alastair James Hay Murray (known as Al) (born 10 May 1968) is an English comedian, actor and writer. Murray's career began working with Harry Hill at BBC Radio 4. He received acclaim at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival, before launching his ""Pub Landlord"" persona (which he describes as a ""know-all know-nothing blowhard who knows the answer to every question even though he hasn't been asked any of them""). This in turn led to the 2000 Sky TV sitcom ""Time Gentlemen Please"". Oxford educated, Murray's comedy is often hard edged social and political satire. He continues to perform as a"
"regular slot on ""Saturday Live"" – later moved and renamed ""Friday Night Live "" – which was seen as a UK version of the US's ""Saturday Night Live"", he became the host of the programme. In 1990 he starred in his own stand-up comedy and sketch series, """", which had a second series in 1994. (The title plays on ""The Man from UNCLE""; ""Auntie"" is a nickname for the BBC). In 1989 Elton won the Royal Television Society Writers' Award. ""The Ben Elton Show"" (1998) followed a format similar to ""The Man from Auntie"" and featured Ronnie Corbett, a comedian"
"Tony Hancock Anthony John Hancock (12 May 1924 – 25 June 1968) was an English comedian and actor. High-profile during the 1950s and early 1960s, he had a major success with his BBC series ""Hancock's Half Hour"", first broadcast on radio from 1954, then on television from 1956, in which he soon formed a strong professional and personal bond with comic actor Sid James. Although Hancock's decision to cease working with James, when it became known in early 1960, disappointed many at the time, his last BBC series in 1961 contains some of his best remembered work (""The Blood Donor"")."
"Malcolm Hardee Malcolm Hardee (5 January 1950 – 31 January 2005) was an English comedian, author, comedy club proprietor, compère, agent, manager and ""amateur sensationalist"". His high reputation among his peers rests on his outrageous publicity stunts and on the help and advice he gave to successful British alternative comedians early in their careers, acting as ""godfather to a generation of comic talent in the 1980s"". Fellow comic Rob Newman called him ""a hilarious, anarchic, living legend; a millennial Falstaff"", while Stewart Lee wrote that ""Malcolm Hardee is a natural clown who in any decent country would be a national"
"nights. He died in June 2005 after a heart attack brought on by a viral infection. A tribute night was held in his home town of Bolton on 21 November 2005. The show was held in the Albert Halls, Bolton and was attended by Johnny Vegas, Badly Drawn Boy, Graham Fellows, Mark Radcliffe, Justin Moorhouse, Bernard Wrigley, Archie Kelly, Susan Vale, Phil Cool, Bob Williamson and Thick Richard. Hovis Presley Hovis Presley (3 August 1960 – 9 June 2005) was an English poet and stand-up comedian from Bolton, Lancashire, noted for his down-to-earth humour. Born as Richard Henry McFarlane, he"
"in 2015 that his ex-boyfriends often resented the role they had to play in the public eye as his partner. Graham Norton Graham William Walker (born 4 April 1963), known professionally as Graham Norton, is an Irish television and radio presenter, comedian, actor, and author based in the United Kingdom. He is a five-time BAFTA TV Award winner for his comedy chat show ""The Graham Norton Show"" and an eight-time award winner, overall. Originally shown on BBC Two before moving to other slots on BBC One, it succeeded ""Friday Night with Jonathan Ross"" in BBC One's prestigious late-Friday-evening slot in"
"James Corden James Kimberley Corden (born 22 August 1978) is an English actor, comedian, and television host. He hosts ""The Late Late Show with James Corden"", a late-night television talk show on CBS. Along with Welsh actress Ruth Jones, Corden co-created, co-wrote and starred in the critically acclaimed BBC sitcom ""Gavin & Stacey"" (2007–2010) for which he won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Comedy Performance. He was featured on the UK No.1 single ""Shout"", along with grime artist Dizzee Rascal, an unofficial anthem of the England football team for the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa, and duetted"
"Bernard Manning Bernard John Manning (13 August 1930 – 18 June 2007) was a British comedian and nightclub owner. Manning became famous on British television during the 1970s, appearing on shows including ""The Comedians"" and ""The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club"". The controversy surrounding his act meant that Manning was rarely seen on television in the later part of his career, but he continued to perform in theatres and pubs until his death. Manning was born in Ancoats, Manchester. He had Russian Jewish ancestry on his father's side, as well as roots in Ireland, and was brought up a ""strict"
"Arthur Askey Arthur Bowden Askey, CBE (6 June 190016 November 1982) was an English comedian and actor. Askey's humour owed much to the playfulness of the characters he portrayed, his improvisation, and his use of catchphrases, which included ""Hello playmates!"", ""I thank you"" (pronounced ""Ay-Thang-Yaw""), and ""Before your very eyes"". Askey was born at 29 Moses Street, Dingle, Liverpool, the eldest child and only son of Samuel Askey (d. 1958), secretary of the firm Sugar Products of Liverpool, and his wife, Betsy Bowden (d. 1949), of Knutsford, Cheshire. Six months after his birth the family moved to 90 Rosslyn Street,"
"Graham Norton Graham William Walker (born 4 April 1963), known professionally as Graham Norton, is an Irish television and radio presenter, comedian, actor, and author based in the United Kingdom. He is a five-time BAFTA TV Award winner for his comedy chat show ""The Graham Norton Show"" and an eight-time award winner, overall. Originally shown on BBC Two before moving to other slots on BBC One, it succeeded ""Friday Night with Jonathan Ross"" in BBC One's prestigious late-Friday-evening slot in 2010. He also presents on BBC Radio 2 and is the BBC television commentator of the Eurovision Song Contest, which"
"Garden, Bill Oddie, and Jonathan Lynn. Buffery died in December 2015 at the age of 76. Tony Buffery Anthony Walter Harold Buffery (9 September 1939 – 26 December 2015) was a British actor, comedian, and writer who also had a career in academic psychology. Buffery got his start in the Cambridge Footlights, but his place in the London Footlights Revue was taken over by Graham Chapman (later of Monty Python) when Buffery chose an academic career over one in entertainment. I do remember that in one year – probably 1967 – Clive [James] did a two-man show with Tony Buffery..."
"Jonathan Ross Jonathan Stephen Ross (born 17 November 1960) is an English television and radio presenter, film critic, actor and comedian best known for presenting the BBC One chat show ""Friday Night with Jonathan Ross"" during the 2000s. Ross also hosted his own radio show on BBC Radio 2, and acted as a film critic and presenter of the ""Film"" programme. After leaving the BBC, Ross then began hosting a new chat show on ITV, ""The Jonathan Ross Show"". Other regular roles have included being a regular panellist on the comedy sports quiz ""They Think It's All Over"" and being"
"filmed. Bernard Manning Bernard John Manning (13 August 1930 – 18 June 2007) was a British comedian and nightclub owner. Manning became famous on British television during the 1970s, appearing on shows including ""The Comedians"" and ""The Wheeltappers and Shunters Social Club"". The controversy surrounding his act meant that Manning was rarely seen on television in the later part of his career, but he continued to perform in theatres and pubs until his death. Manning was born in Ancoats, Manchester. He had Russian Jewish ancestry on his father's side, as well as roots in Ireland, and was brought up a"
"David Benson David Benson (born David Hodgson on 11 January 1962) is an English character actor, writer and comedian, most famous for his one-man show titled ""Think No Evil of Us: My Life with Kenneth Williams"" about the life and career of the late actor, for which he won the ""Scotsman's"" Fringe First award in 1996, and for his television role as Noël Coward in the BBC comedy series ""Goodnight Sweetheart"". His theatrical repertoire includes a wide range of Coward's best known songs, performed in-character as Coward. When not touring in the theatre he can be found on BBC radio,"
"was a regular guest star on television programmes such as ""Big Night Out"", ""Spot the Tune"" and ""The Liver Birds"". He evoked considerable nostalgia by a memorable appearance on BBC's ""The Good Old Days"" using much of his material from his days on ""steam radio"". A stroke in 1990 affected his speech and forced his retirement. Brian Robinson, his partner and (by then, former) manager, survived him. Ken Platt Ken Platt (born Kenneth Platt, 17 February 1921, Leigh, Lancashire – 2 October 1998, Blackpool, Lancashire) was a British northern comedian. Platt decided to become a comedian at the age of"
"Kevin Meaney Kevin Gerard Meaney (April 23, 1956 – October 21, 2016) was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Meaney began his career in comedy in 1980. His big break into mainstream culture is considered to be his first HBO comedy special in 1986, followed by his debut performance on ""The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson"" in 1987. After that, his act was broadcast several times by HBO, Comedy Central and several network television stations with appearances on ""The Tonight Show"", ""Late Night with David Letterman"", """", ""The Oprah Winfrey Show"" and ""Conan"". His most famous catchphrase was ""That's not"
"Tommy Trinder Thomas Edward Trinder CBE (24 March 1909 – 10 July 1989), known as Tommy Trinder, was an English stage, screen and radio comedian of the pre- and post-war years whose catchphrase was 'You lucky people'. Born at 54 Wellfield Road, Streatham, South London, (a plaque from the Streatham Society marks the spot) on 24 March 1909, the son of Thomas Henry Trinder, a London tram driver from Shilton, Oxfordshire, and his wife Jennie Georgina Harriet Mills, Tommy Trinder was one of the best-loved comedians in Britain during the period from the late 1930s until the 1960s. He left"
"Charlie Williams (comedian) Charles Adolphus Williams, MBE (23 December 1927 – 2 September 2006) was an English professional footballer who was one of the first black players in British football after the Second World War, and later became Britain's first well-known black stand-up comedian. He became famous from his appearances on Granada Television's ""The Comedians"" and ATV's ""The Golden Shot"", delivering his catchphrase, ""me old flower"" in his broad Yorkshire accent. Williams was born in Royston, a small mining village near Barnsley, West Riding of Yorkshire. His father, also Charles, had come to Britain in 1914 from Barbados, and enlisted"
"Ian Gillies Ian Malcolm Gillies (7 December 1927 – 13 April 2002), known to many simply as Mycroft from BBC Radio 4's ""Brain of Britain"", was an accomplished quiz player and question setter in the United Kingdom. His character name was taken from Arthur Conan Doyle's Mycroft Holmes, the smarter older brother of Sherlock Holmes. He won the ""Brain of Britain"" final in 1964 and later the three-year competition ""Brain of Brains"" and the nine-year-final ""Top Brain"". Educated at the Royal Grammar School Worcester and Jesus College, Oxford, he joined the Royal Air Force before retiring on medical grounds. He"
"the 2015 New Year Honours for services to drama. He received the honour from Princess Anne during a ceremony at Buckingham Palace on 25 June 2015. James Corden James Kimberley Corden (born 22 August 1978) is an English actor, comedian, and television host. He hosts ""The Late Late Show with James Corden"", a late-night television talk show on CBS. Along with Welsh actress Ruth Jones, Corden co-created, co-wrote and starred in the critically acclaimed BBC sitcom ""Gavin & Stacey"" (2007–2010) for which he won the BAFTA Television Award for Best Comedy Performance. He was featured on the UK No.1 single"
"actress Anthea Askey (1933–1999). Askey carried on working on his comedy career until just before he was hospitalised in July 1982 due to poor circulation which resulted in gangrene and the amputation of both legs. He died in London's St Thomas's Hospital on 16 November 1982 and is buried in Putney Vale Cemetery. Arthur Askey Arthur Bowden Askey, CBE (6 June 190016 November 1982) was an English comedian and actor. Askey's humour owed much to the playfulness of the characters he portrayed, his improvisation, and his use of catchphrases, which included ""Hello playmates!"", ""I thank you"" (pronounced ""Ay-Thang-Yaw""), and ""Before"
"Lance Percival John Lancelot Blades Percival (26 July 1933 – 6 January 2015), known as Lance Percival, was an English actor, comedian and singer, best known for his appearances in satirical comedy television shows of the early 1960s and his ability to improvise comic calypsos about current news stories. He later became successful as an after-dinner speaker. He was born in Sevenoaks, Kent, and was educated at Sherborne School in Sherborne, Dorset, where he learnt to play the guitar. He then did national service with the Seaforth Highlanders as a lieutenant and was posted to Egypt. In 1955 he emigrated"
"""Goodnight, thank you, and may your God go with you."" Highly regarded in Britain, Allen's comic technique and style had a lasting influence on many young British comedians. His targets were often figures of authority, his style was observational rather than gag-driven, and his language frequently ripe; as such he was a progenitor for the ""alternative"" comedians of the 1980s. In his native Ireland, he always remained somewhat controversial. His mocking of the Catholic Church made him unpopular amongst some Irish Catholics, while his mocking of the Ulster Protestant leader Ian Paisley made him unpopular amongst many Protestants in Northern"
"succeeded by Tony Blackburn. Matthew died of pneumonia on 8 April 2017, aged 88. Matthew was born on 17 September 1928 in Coventry, Warwickshire, the son of musical parents. His father was a conductor of the Coventry Silver Band and his mother a professional singer. He was educated at the city's Bablake School. Matthew first broadcast in Germany in 1948, and trained as an actor at RADA before joining the BBC in 1954. On the BBC Light Programme, as a staff announcer, he introduced numerous programmes including ""Take It From Here"" and ""Saturday Club"" (originally called ""Saturday Skiffle Club"", starting"
"Kill"", as well as having his work published in ""The Hockey News"". In the US he was a regular guest on ""The Late Late Show with Craig Ferguson"" and he was the host of trivia game show ""You Bet Your Ass"". In the UK, his TV appearances include ""The Comedy Store"", ""Mock the Week"", ""8 out of 10 Cats"", ""The Big Stage"", ""For One Night Only"" and ""Michael McIntyre's Comedy Roadshow"". After his first appearance on ""Mock the Week"" as an almost unknown, he was so successful he was asked back three more times in the series that followed. In"
"Roger Mellie Roger Mellie (""The Man on the Telly"") is a fictional character featured in ""Viz"" magazine. His catchphrase is ""Hello, good evening and bollocks!"", satirising David Frost's catchphrase ""Hello, good evening, and welcome"". The character first appeared in Issue 6 in July 1981 and (like many other characters in ""Viz"") is a foul-mouthed and obnoxious misogynist who manages to maintain a career as a television presenter. He is shown working on various TV networks and channels, the fictional Fulchester Television (FTV) and the BBC being his primary employers. He is the ostensible author of ""Roger's Profanisaurus"" (), a parody"